Druggist-alarm



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. M. TOULMIN.- DRUGGIST ALARM.

No. 359,581. Patented Mar. 15, 1887.

" WITNESSES Whm E (No Model.) V 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

M. TOULMIN.

. DRUGGIST ALARM. No. 359,581. Patented Mar. 15, 1887.

WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MOB TON TOULMIN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

DRUGGlST-ALARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 359,581, dated March 15, 1887. Application filed December 20, 1886. Serial No. 222,079. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it .kn'own that I, MORTON TOULMIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented .certain new and useful Improvementsin Drugtomer when the druggist is handling poisoir ous drugs, even thoughit be intentional.

The invention consists, essentially, of a device which rests upon ashelf, desk, or counter, and receives a bottle oi package containing poison, and which, when the package or hottle is removed, automatically presents to the view of the druggist and purchaser a word indicating poison, and at the same time closes an electric circuit and rings an electric bell lo. cated in some convenient place in the store.

It further consists of a stand or box-like support having an electrical conductor adapted to be connected with a pole of a battery, and also having a hinged flap bearing a word indicating poison and held down by the bottle or package, and having a spring or weight, which, when the incumbent is removed, turns the .flap with its inscription to the view of the purchaser and the druggist, and brings it in contactwith said conductor, whereby an alarmcircuit is also closed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and on which similar letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding features, Figure 1 represents a portion of shelving with my device placed thereon and a bottle of poison incumbent upon it, and also a bottle upon the shelf in the usual manner; Fig. 2, a plan View of the device with the incumbent removed and the flap in a vertical position; Fig. 3, a sectional view of Fig. 2; Figs. 4 and 5, respectively, sectional and in verted plan views of a modified form of constructing the alarm; Figs. 6 and 7 like views of another form; and Fig. 8, afront view of two alarms, showing also a battery and a bell andone way of making the circuits.

The letter A designates afragment of shelving, upon one shelf of whichis shown mounted one of my alarms, which consists of abort-like stand, 13, preferably made of sheet metal, as by being struck up, and in which is secured a block of insulating material, as wood, to which material is secured a conductor, D, having a contact-point, E, which extends up through the top of the stand. This conductor is electrically connected to abinding-post, F, through a wire or other medium, G. The front end of the stand preferably fits against the edge of the shelf, and in any event serves as a surface upon which to place an inscription, as the word Poison, or the name of the drug contained in the package orbot-tle which that particular stand supports.

The letter H designates a hinged flap or wing engaged by a spring from the rear side, so as to tend automatically to assume an elevated posit-ion, yet capable of being pressed down flat, as seen in Fig. 1. The weight of the incumbent bottle or package holds the flap normally down and out of View; but on removing the bottle or package the flap quickly presents itself to view, and presents the word Poison or other suitable.inscription to the view ofthe druggist and the purchaser. This action also closes an electric-alarm circuit, presently to be described, by means of a lip or pro-- jection, 1, extending from the flap, coming in contact with the contact-point E.

It will be understood that the flap is electrically connected with one pole of a battery, and this is doneinthepresentinstance through the binding-post J, which is in contact with the metallic stand B, which is in electrical connection with the flap which is pivoted to it.

. It should be noted that the insulating material G insulates the conductor D from the stand 13, and the interposed washer K, of non-conducting material, insulates the post F from the stand.

It will be observed that the wires L and M, which connect with the posts J and F, respectively, and the one with one post of the bell-magnet and the other with one pole of 103 the battery, form, in connection with the short wire N, connecting the other pole of the battea -y to the other post of the-bell-magnet, the circuit. These wires run from the alarm on the shelf to any suitable portion of the store where the battery may be located, the bell being interposed in the circuit at a point to insure its audibility to the purchaser as well as the druggist.

As illustrated in Fig. 8, it will be seen that the same bell and battery will answer the purpose of a number of the alarms. The particular arrangement of the wires, however, forms no essential part of the invention, as it is obvious to any one skilled in this branch of science that the arrangement can be indefinitely Varied.

So far my description of the construction has referred principally to the views on Sheet 1 of the. drawings. On Sheet 2 I have illustrated two modifications in construction.

In Fig. 4. the block of wood or non-conducting material 0 is provided with a contact spring or point, 0, and the flap with a similar contact, P, as also with a weight, Q, which serves to elevate the flap H and to bring the contacts together when the incumbent is removed. The binding-post F is shown in Fig. 5 in electrical connection with the contact O,while the bi nding-post J is in contact with the stand B, and through it with the flap H and its contact Q.

In Figs. 6 and 7 the block of insulating niaterial O is also provided with a contact-spring, R, connected electrically with the bindingpost F, and in substantially the same manner as the contact 0 with that post F in Figs. 4 and 5. The flap in Figs. 6 and 7 is also provided with a projection, as at S, and the stand B with a contact spring or strip, T, the latter being normally held away from the contact R by the projection on the flap when the flap is down. The flap is also in this instance provided with a weight, Q.

It is obvious that the stand B may be simply a block of wood, or the shelf itself may receive the binding-posts and the pivoted flap and the contact-point for the flap, or, in other words, that whenever the stand is not made of metal the binding-posts are electrically connected with the contactpoints.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire ,to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In apoison-alarm, the combination,with a poison indicating flap having a normal tendency to present itself to view and constructed to be held out of view by a bottle or package, of an electric circuit completed and interrupted by said flap, an electric sounding device in said circuit, and an electric generator.

2. In a poison-alarm, the combination, with a pivoted poison indicating flap having a normal tendency to rise to view and coustructed to support a bottle or package and 4.. In a poison-alarm, the combinatiomwith a metallic stand constructed to rest upon a shelf, having an insulating-block and contactpoint secured to said block, a poison-indicating flap pivoted to said stand, and having a weight which causes it to normally tend to rise to view, and constructed to support a bottle or package, and having a contact-point which engages with the other point when the flap is elevated, of an electric circuit the poles of which are respectively connected with said stand, and a contact-point carried by said block, an electric bell in said circuit, and an electrical conductor.

5. In a poison-alarm, the combi'natiomwith a metallic stand constructed to restupon a shelf and having a binding-post, an insulating-block within it, and a contact-point and a binding-post secured to said block and in electrical connection, of a poison-indicating flap pivoted to said stand and having it normal tendency to rise to View, constructed to close an electric circuit when presented to view, and in electrical connection with said stand.

6. In a poison-alarm, the combination,with a stand constructed to rest upon a shelf, of a poison-indicating flap pivoted to said stand, having a normal tendency to rise to view,and constructed to support a package or bottle, and contact-points which are brought together when the flap is presented to view,whereby an electric circuit may be closed.

7. In a poison-alarm, the combinatiomwith a metallic stand having asurface for a poisonindicating inscription, a contact-point secured thereto, and an insulating-block carrying an other contact-point, and means to connect a wire with each of said points, of a poison-indicating flap having a weight which tends to normally present the flap to view and con structed to support the bottle or package and thereby to separate said contacts.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MORTON TOULMIN.

\Vituesses:

J. K. DASHIELL, WM. H. J ONES. 

